The efficiency, reliability, and compact size of LEDs make them increasingly attractive for use in lighting devices of all kinds. LEDs originally were available only in individual discrete colors. When monochromatic LEDs are utilized in products for group recreation or entertainment (balls, flying discs, headbands, bicycle lights, goal markers, fan appreciation paraphernalia, etc.), the consumer can choose from a wide variety of colors available. However, if the recreational activity requires differentiation of individual players or teams by color, the user would need to purchase and keep on hand multiple different colored versions of the particular device. This is expensive, unwieldy, and inefficient.
With the advent of technology, LED devices have recently become available and affordable that comprise two or more single and differing color semiconductor dies compactly arranged on a single small platform and further include a dedicated onboard or external microprocessor that can separately control the relative brightness and on/off duty cycle of each individual light emitting die. Through appropriate programming of the microprocessor, the mixture of the light produced by the multiple color dies within the package can produce a wide array of spectral color and intensity emitted from the device. Incorporating multicolor LEDs in the recreational and entertainment products noted above would give the user the ability to own a single product and adjust its color output to match those of their team members or, alternatively, differentiate it from the color of opponent devices. What is required is a simple, direct, and easily monitored method to allow the user of a multicolor LED device to select the color to be displayed without needing to program a microprocessor or follow a complicated protocol for changing settings on the device.